Six Letters
by Charmingly Gorgeous
Summary: [Post Honour Code]A triumphant smile comes on her face, as she rips open the back of the drawer. Six envelops fell into her hand, and she pulled the up to check them out in the light.
1. Ziva's Letter

**A/N:I was re reading Someone To Watch Over Them, and I decided that I completely ruined the story by adding Tate into it. So, I made this one, which is hopefully completely shipper free. So everyone can enjoy it. **

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Ziva sighed. She was once again, the only person in the NCIS bullpen on her floor, and 0500. She set her purse down on her new desk - Kate's old one - and booted up the computer, before sitting down in the chair.

She didn't feel comfortable. It was like there was something left here, something of the dead agent's. It's the same feeling she had felt last night, when she found Agent Todd's sketchpad. Ziva thought that she had resolved this feeling last night, after she gave Gibbs the pad. But no, here she was, feeling that same feeling.

So she tucked her dark brown curls behind her ear, and began searching. Maybe there was something else that had been left behind. She decided to start with the only drawer she hadn't checked last night - the bottom left drawer. She opened it, and she immediately was immersed in a sense of that this is exactly where she would find an ending to… everything.

But the drawer was empty.

Ziva's eyebrow cocked upwards. Appearances can be deceiving; she had always loved a challenge. Slowly, she began feeling the edges of the drawer, looking for inconsistency. When she reached the back of the drawer, she felt it. A triumphant smile comes on her face, as she rips open the back of the drawer. Six envelops fell into her hand, and she pulled the up to check them out in the light.

Each envelop had a name written on it in neat and tidy writing. The names Ziva recognized as the names of the team - Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Ducky, and Abby. On the last the envelop, was 'My Replacement'.

Her curiosity now completely aroused, Ziva set the five envelops on her desk, and began to tear at the one she presumed addressed to herself. The same writing on the inside stared back at her, and she read carefully.

_So, you're as good as Gibbs thinks you are, if you've found these letters. Trust me, if you're on his team, he thinks you're good, even if you're ordered on his team. _

Ziva smiled at this first statement, remembering the fuss Gibbs had put up at first when she had been assigned to his team.

_I've either quit, or died. I could never stay in one place at one time. I like the change of scenery. You've probably met the team, but don't worry - they'll grow on you._

The image of Tony shaving and brushing his teeth in the morning flew into Ziva's photographic memory, and she let out slight chuckle at his antics.

_I'd better explain them to you, so you'll understand them better. Let's start with Tony, shall we? Tony…well Tony's just Tony. He's going to come off as a chauvinistic skirt-chaser, but when worst comes to worst, he's going to be there for you. Always. And he may come off as an overgrown 20-year-old, but he can have his sweet moments. _

_Who's next… let's say… McGee? Well, nothing to really say about him - he'll be pleased you're here. He won't be the 'Probie' anymore. But, honestly, he'll always be Probie. _

_Abby is who you'll probably have the most problems with if I'm dead. She'll probably be wearing white. Something about white being the colour the Chinese wear when they grieve… but just be patient. She'll warm up to you. And whatever you do - do NOT suck up to her. She'll just hate you even more. _

_Ha - Ducky. He'll probably be with McGee on the nice factor to you. He's such a sweetheart. He's going to ask you out, most likely more than once. He's absolutely charming though. _

_And then that brings us to Gibbs. Gibbs keeps to himself. He's not going to warm up to you… actually, I don't think he'll ever warm up to anyone. But you need to know that if Gibbs' gut tells him something, then you need to listen, because it's rarely ever wrong. _

This made Ziva remember the whole case with the little boy and Gibbs' gut. She should have listened, instead of just listening to the evidence. She had learned in her… previous job, that sometimes the evidence is false. That it can be planted just as easily as it can be left unconsciously. And now that she looked back, it just seemed so obvious that he was being set up, now that she looked harder.

_You also have to know that Gibbs… well he's going to think of you like a daughter/son. Even if he doesn't act like it all the time. Look at Tony - Gibbs hits Tony upside the head at least once a day. But that doesn't mean that Gibbs wouldn't give his life for Tony. _

_So I guess that's all you really need to know. As for me, well… I don't really matter. All that matters, is that you know how these incredibly smart, wonderful, loyal, loving people work, so you can get along with them. Because, the first thing you need in a team is trust._

_Love_

_Caitlin Todd_

Ziva silently folded up her letter, and set it into the top drawer of her new desk. She'd keep it there until it was time she moved on. Something about this Caitlin Todd seem to interest her. The other five letters lay in front of her on her desk. Slowly, she began to drop them off on their desks, one by one. When she reached the two that didn't have desks on her floor, she walked over to the elevator. Ducky, she could leave on his desk. But Abby's…

Well, she'd have to deliver that one in person.

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**A/N: Reviews would be great, and if you want me to put up the letters that were written to them - I'll have to write them, and they probably won't be long- then I'll write them for you guys. Just review and tell me.**


	2. Tony's Letter

**A/N: Aw, thanks for the reviews guys. Here's the beginning of the letters. All I have to do is Gibbs and Abby's and they'll be up tomorrow night hopefully. lol. O yes, and from here on in, there's going to be some spoilers for SWAK. Love y'all.**

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Tony DiNozzo had a specific way of doing things. He liked to sleep on the left side of the bed. His breakfast consisted of a muffin baked by his mother -she sends a basket every week- and coffee that he picks up on his way to work. If he has a late night with a woman, then he has his spare toothbrush, towel, portable razor, and such in his file cabinet. Nothing to worry about.

But as he lugged his overly-tired body off the elevator and to his desk, he noticed something different. The mail had seemed to arrive earlier. Way earlier. Remembering the letter that had placed him and Kate into quarantine for days, he picked it up suspiciously, and pushed all thoughts of Kate out of his mind. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with the sorrows of loosing a good friend. And a damn good agent.

He slowly sat down at his desk, forgetting about the urgency that he brush his teeth and shave immediately, and searched his desk for his letter opener. And he thought he'd never use it. He carefully picked his way through the top of the letter, until he noticed that he completely forgot to see who it was from - if there was a name on the front of the envelope. He flipped it around, and it flew from his hands as if it was on fire.

That was Kate's writing.

But that can't be. His mind began to race a million miles a minute. Kate was dead. Dead. The dead can't write letters to people… can they? Old classic ghost movie titles popped into his head, but he ignored them and swallowed hard. Only one what to find out what the hell was going on.

He reached over and pulled the letter from the envelope. He unfolded slowly, cautiously, as if he expected something to jump out at him from the paper. The writing was Kate's. But did Kate write this? Even as he thought that, he knew it didn't make sense, but in his world, it made all the difference.

_Tony - _

_I was going to put 'Dear Tony' but then I remembered that you are far from being dear._

Yup. This was Kate who had written it, he thought has a smile flittered on his lips.

_Just kidding. It seems we do a lot of that don't we? Kid around, I mean. God knows that meant in your little head. Right, I have to stop being so mean. _

_I'm sorry. I mean it. I just want you to know that every time we've ever argued, or 'bantered' as Abby so delicately put it, that I was joking. I know that sometimes I've said some really hurtful things, but here's where I completely make up for that. I'm sorry, I didn't mean them to come out that way. _

_I know that if you're reading this, something's happened. Either I've gotten sick of working here, or… I'm dead. And there's a replacement sitting across from you at my desk. I'm not going to tell you to be nice to him or her. I'm just going to tell you to be yourself. It worked for me, and look at how close we've become._

_I don't mean that I like in that way Tony. I'm smiling though, right now. And I'm looking at the flowers you sent me - I pressed them and framed them. Not like, stalker-ish, but it was kind of sweet that you took the time to GO THROUGH MY PURSE_ _to find the card of my favourite florist. In that weird 'Tony DiNozzo' way, it's actually kind of nice. I never did get the chance to thank you for them. Thanks Tony._

_And I know at times - okay, all of the time- I referred to you as the chauvinistic skirt-chaser. But I know you're more than that. And I know that you're going to make some woman really happy someday. I know what you're thinking - 'I've already made many women happy, Katie' and then you're smiling that stupid smile of yours. But you know exactly what I mean. If, on the rare chance, that I'm not dead, then don't be a stranger to me. And either way, when you have kids, one of them had better be named Caitlin. Just kidding._

_Try to loosen up on our Probie though, okay? He's really doing the best he can, and admit it to yourself - he's been the key to solving more than one of our cases we've worked. _

_The best of luck though, DiNozzo. I'll miss you, and your stupid jokes. _

_Love,_

_Katie. _

_PS: You do realize that you're the only one who's called me Katie and lived to call me that again, right? Just proves how good friends we are. _

Tony never thought he'd see the day when Kate said sorry to him. And, technically, she still hadn't 'said' it to him... she'd written it. But still, the thought that she kept his flowers, and knew him so well as to know what he would be thinking when he read her letter, really proved to him that she did listen, and she did care.

It also reminded him of exactly how close of a friend she was to him.


	3. McGee's Letter

When Timothy McGee first walked off that elevator, clad in a grey suit and black tie, he noticed that Tony wasn't doing his daily routine. Instead, he was smiling at a piece of paper that he held in his hand.

Now this is what perked McGee's interest. Nothing ever made Tony smile, unless it was dirty. Thinking that it was some sort of dirty letter from his new flavour of the week, he looked over Tony's desk, and looked down the letter from in front of Tony.

Well, he tried.

McGee was rewarded with his actions, by a glare from Tony. "Something I can do for you, McGee?"

McGee noticed Tony's tone of voice, and realised that if he kept on attempting to see what Tony was hiding, then sooner or later, Tony would become royally pissed off. And that's not something McGee generally liked.

Tony's glared followed McGee, as he trudged off to his desk, and sat down at his computer, booting it up. That's when he noticed an envelope, placed downwards. Completely forgetting about the whole 'Kate and Tony going into quarantine' situation, McGee flipped it over, and read the front. His eyebrows shot up, as he recognized the familiar feminine writing, that wrote _'McGee (Probie)' _on the front.

He tore the left side of the envelope, and let the letter spill out of the side, before he tossed the envelope carelessly out of his way. After unfolding the letter, he smiled. Kate.

_Probie - _

_I know, you're probably sick of people calling you that, but hey - it's kind of like my mother calling me Rosie. I'll always hate it, but when she doesn't call me that, I get hurt. _

_If you ever tell ANYONE that my middle name is Rosie, trust me, I will find you - or come back from the dead, which ever has happened - and murder you. Don't even think that I won't._

_Lol. That's computer speak, isn't it? That's what I like about you, McGee. You're so smart with computers, and you don't let it get to you when people don't always appreciate that. _

_Like me and Tony. I really don't mean to be mean to you when I play tricks on you. It's all just for fun. You know that if I ever have a chance to take a bullet for you, then I would in a heartbeat, right?_

McGee shook his head slightly. Of course he knew she'd take a bullet for him. Kate would take a bullet for anyone, without a second thought.

_Don't let Tony get to you, you know that he thinks of you like a younger brother - that's why he's always teasing you. We both think of you like that. Probie, you're a part of this team, whether you like it or not. Just like me and Tony are the big sister and older brother, you and Abby are the little ones. _

_So keep on keeping on. Lol. Hey, I'm getting the hang of this computer-speak. _

_Love,_

_Kate_

McGee set his letter down gently on his desk. He had always known that beneath the sarcastic remarks towards him and his interests that they truly did like him for who he was. They being Tony and Kate of course. But now that Kate actually said that… It just seemed more real to him. He glanced over at Tony, who had now begun his morning routine. He had funny suspicion that Tony had gotten a letter from Kate too.


	4. Ducky's Letter

Ducky loved puzzles. He loved them when he was just a child, and even now he loved them. He saw the human body has one big puzzle, and when there was one lying on the metal slab in his 'office' it was there for him to solve. Solve why it was there in the autopsy room. Solve how it became to end up in there, and help solve who put it there. Or what.

But he had always hated paperwork. Everyone hates paperwork, he supposed, but there was something about paperwork that made him loose his will to work. He loved getting in there, hands on. But he hated the work he was required to fill out.

Unfortunately for him, today was going to be a slow one. Or at least this morning. Mr. Palmer was out for a personal day, and Ducky was left to finish up the left over paperwork on his latest puzzle.

He hung up his beige trench coat, as well as his black hat on the coat hanger just inside of the lab. He made his way slowly to his desk, not wanting to sit down and do some work. He'd much prefer going up to Abby's lab and chat with the charming, interesting young girl.

On top of his pile of paperwork, lay a white envelope; his name written in the middle very neatly. But it wasn't the neatness of the writing that made his heart stand still. It was the name of the person who's writing this was - young Caitlin.

Ducky had always known that Caitlin was special. She could draw like no one else could. She had a smile that would light up a room in an instant. But he also knew that she was born to die a hero.

He supposed that if Caitlin hadn't have taken her training in protection before she was assigned to the president of the US, then it would have been Gibbs lying on the slab a few weeks ago. If she hadn't have leaped to protect Gibbs, then she wouldn't have been in Ari's line of fire, and ultimately, she'd still be alive.

But it wasn't that he was blaming Gibbs - no, he could never do that. He was blaming Ari, because Ari had counted on Caitlin listening to her training instead of her head, which would place her right where he wanted her. Dead center of his scope on his sniper.

Ducky reached over and opened the envelope with delicate hands. Upon unfolding the letter, he stopped to blink back the salty tears that were from the brought back memories of the young Caitlin Todd. She had so much of her life yet to live. So much that she hadn't seen. Like the smile of her children, and the kiss of her true love. So much that the damned Ari had snatched away from her, as if it was nothing.

_Dearest Ducky,_

_I can still remember the first time you asked me to dinner. Believe me, I would have loved to say yes, just to be able to spend more time with you but… I love you like a father. You're sweet, charming, and wonderfully kind. And I know that it sometimes seems that we never care about your stories, but believe me it's not that we don't care. It's just that you seem to always pop up with these stories at the most pressing of times. Like in the middle of a case. _

_If you had come up with these stories when we were all doing nothing, or at a company dinner, then we would have all listened to them. Because you've been places we haven't been. _

_If I'm dead, then I expect you will have performed my autopsy. I have to ask that you don't tell Tony what my tattoo is - or why Gibbs knows it's not a rose. If Tony can't figure out that it's in my government file, then that's his problem. I know that you'll never tell him, Ducky. Thank you for that. _

_Look after Gibbs for me, alright? Make sure that he always eats - you've already done such a good job- and drinks more than just the sludge he claims is coffee. And make sure they all treat the my replacement nicely. It was only two years ago I was the replacement. They'll find their place in the family soon enough. _

_I'll miss you, even if I didn't leave NCIS and I'm dead instead, I'll still always miss you._

_All my love,_

_Caitlin._

The salty tears fell from his eyes, past his glasses, and onto the hand-written letter. He knew that she was writing properly because it he liked it. He could tell when she began to write like she was actually there talking to him.

And if only for a moment, she really was.


	5. Gibbs' Letter

_Gibbs - _

_I really don't know what to say to you. I know that even though me and Tony get on your nerves when we argue, you still love us. Yes, I said that. Love. Because you do, you love us. And I know that you would never say that to our faces, but we know it's true when you do things like hit Tony or expect me to push my emotions aside on an emotionally draining case. _

_And I know that through your tough guy exterior, you beat yourself up about our cases involving children, or if one of us had gotten hurt on your watch. Although I'll never understand why you do it more than the rest of us do, I know that you'll be okay. You always find your way, and sometimes even help us find ours._

_If I've left, I'm sorry. It's probably because I just couldn't do it anymore. I couldn't stand to look at the victims faces. Or maybe it's because I just needed a change in scenery. Either way, I'm so sorry._

_But if I've died - on the job or not - stop beating yourself up. Yes, I know that you are, it's in the way you're wired. I was a profiler after all. It wasn't your fault. The only way it could have been was if you shot me - which I don't think you ever could. _

_So, look after everyone for me. And make sure that Tony eventually gets his reports right the first time. _

_Love,_

_Kate._

_PS: My sketchbook is in my desk… I want you to keep it. Maybe even show the rest of the team later, okay?_

_PPS: That sludge is not coffee. Nor is it a meal. _

A smile appeared on Gibbs' face as he read the letter in his hands. His ice blue eyes looked up and glanced around his office. Tony was typing up his report - on his second try- an McGee was fishing around on his computer.

Kate was right. Gibbs had blamed himself for her death. He should have felt that sniper, or at least looked around at the buildings for a sniper scope, anything. He should have acted like a Marine.

But he had just been so glad that Kate wasn't dead the first time she was shot that he hadn't thought about anything else. And that wouldn't happen again. From now on, he would save the rejoicing for later, when they were all out of firing range and safe. He would not cost himself another agent.

The letter Kate left was lying on his desk now, staring up at him. He folded it neatly, and placed it in the drawer on top of her sketchpad. He would show McGee, Tony, and Abby after Ziva was settled in. But it was Ducky's birthday soon, and for that, he would frame the sketch she did of him, and sign it from Kate. He would absolutely love it.


	6. Abby's Letter

Pink. Abby's second favourite colour, and the colour of her iPod mini that was in her hand, playing back _Helena_ by My Chemical Romance. Good song. She lip synched the lyrics to the chorus, as she pushed her way through the glass lab doors, taking a sip of her first Caf-Pow of the day. She turned her iPod off, and set it down on the lab counter along with her drink, as she took off her long black coat and walked over to the glass doors that separated the lab from her desk and coat hanger. Just as she flicked on the lights to the office, she jumped back.

Ziva gave her a slight smile, as she sat on the chair in front of Abby's desk. Abby narrowed her eyes, and hung up her coat professionally. She turned back to Ziva, and put one hand on her hip. "What can I do for you, Agent Davide?"

Ziva stood up, sighing. "Do you really need to call me 'Agent Davide'?"

Abby turned on her heel, and walked out of her office, back into the lab. "That's your name and rank, isn't it?"

Ziva followed Abby into the lab, and watched as she booted up her computer. "Yes, but you don't call Tony 'Agent DiNozzo', or McGee 'Agent McGee'."

Abby stood up, and turned on her heel, her face inches away from Ziva's, and glaring. "That's a completely different situation, _Agent Davide_."

Ziva rolled her eyes and let out an aggravated sigh, before looking Abby in the eyes again. Abby turned around from Ziva again, and bent down to boot up her other computer. Ziva tried to sympathize with her. "Abby, I know that you and Kate were-"

"Don't you dare talk about Kate like you knew her!" Abby whirled around, and pointed in Ziva's face angrily. "You didn't know her!"

Ziva stepped back from Abby, ignoring her instincts to step up closer to Abby and take her up on the non-verbal challenge. "I know, I never had the pleasure-"

"Why are you here? If you're trying to make me like you, if you're trying to replace Kate, then don't even try." Abby snapped.

Ziva raised her eyes. What was it about her that always made the worst of people come out? Here was a normally cheerful person, yelling at her like she was the worst person in the world. "Look," Ziva started, taking a deep breath. "I'm not trying to replace her, I'm just." Ziva stopped herself, and rethought that statement. Deciding that it was better off to just give Abby the letter, than to tell the woman that Ziva was trying to help her move on from Kate, she started again. "I'm just trying to give you this letter." Ziva passed Abby the letter addressed to her from Kate.

Abby took the letter stonily, and looked up at Ziva with wide, curious eyes. "Where did you get this? This is Kate's writing."

Ziva nodded. "I found it in my desk. There were others, addressed to the rest of the team."

Abby's stony glare softened, as tears welled up in her eyes. She sniffed, and blinked them back, looking up at Ziva. "What?" she asked, as she set the letter down on the desk of her computer.

Ziva was never one to loose herself. She never got angry quickly. And she honestly didn't know why Abby not liking her bugged her so much. "Abby, I'm not trying to replace Kate – no one ever could." Abby opened her mouth to reply, but Ziva put her hand up, and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not finished. I'm also not trying to make you move on faster than you should, because you should do that at your own pace. I'm just trying to convince you not to take your anger from Kate's death out on me."

Abby opened her mouth to say that she wasn't taking her anger out on anyone, when she stopped. Why did she hate Ziva? Was it only because that her presence here at NCIS was making it all more real? Abby didn't really hate Ziva, she just hated… Kate. Abby's chocolate brown eyes darted over to the letter, lying on the desk staring up at her. She hated Kate because she had the nerve to die on her. When Abby looked back up at Ziva, she was gone, and the lab door was shutting. Abby chewed on her bottom lip, as she picked up the letter and opened it.

Abbs- 

_I love you. You're my best friend, and I swear that if I've just left NCIS, we are still going to hang out like always. _

_But if I'm dead… God Abby, I am so sorry. I mean, you're one of the greatest, most original, kindest people I know. And I know that in your heart, you'll forgive me for dying, and leaving you behind. _

_Do you remember that hat we made and tricked McGee with? Don't ever loose that, girl. It's one of the best moments I had with you. Make sure you keep taking care of the rest of the team for me, like always. And never loose your spunk – it's what kept me going on a few cases. _

_Now, about this new agent. Don't you dare be mean to them. They don't deserve it, because they just got here. Try and make friends, you never know – you could end up liking them more than me. Just please don't turn into the person you never wanted to be. Don't forget about me, just let me go and move on. _

_Love,_

_Katie_

_PS: You're the greatest friend a girl could ever ask for. _

Abby folded up the letter, and slipped it back into the envelope. Instead of crying, she was smiling. Kate was right, as usual. And as she folded up the letter and slipped it into her back pocket, she decided to give this Ziva chick one chance – only one. If she blew that one, then she can just say goodbye to NCIS, because Abby could get her fired in ways that no one could even imagine of.

She walked into her office with her Caf-Pow in hand, and smiled at the dress skirt and jacket still hanging her office.

Kate would have peed her pants seeing her in that outfit.

_Fin._

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**A/N: Well... that's the end. Hope you enjoyed reading it. Mwah**


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